summer heat
by quasi una fantasia
Summary: One beautiful day in summer. —lightis.
1. i

"This is absolutely stupid." One Claire "Lightning" Farron hissed under her breath as her right hand furiously fanning her neck with a paper fan. It was summer and the weather undoubtedly hot enough to boil her up. The electricity had been dead for two hours now, so there was no luxury of air conditioner for her and at one p.m. the heat had really reached the point of breaking her patience.

Lightning was sprawling on her bedroom floor—for it was a good cooling material—, dressed in a white tank top and grey hot pants, pale pink hair styled in a messy bun with long bangs clipped to the hairline. She dragged a hand to her forehead, wiping some sweat off. Deciding that enough was enough, she rose to her feet and made her way to the kitchen. A glass of lemonade sounded heavenly now...

Except, when she checked the freezer on her metal fridge, there was no ice nor even frozen foods: it was as empty as Snow Villiers' head. It also didn't help her situation when she found the bottles of water on the low compartment had all lost its cold.

If she was no Claire Farron, she would have surely dropped her jaw to the floor. But of course, she was the one and only Claire Farron; so with a deep scowl etched perfectly on her face, she kicked the fridge instead, until it rattled quite dangerously.

It looked like she was too busy with work that even her fridge had not been getting its well-needed attention; meaning, stocking foods and drinks.

Serah, her sweet little sister, rarely touched the kitchen since she was—much to everyone's surprise—the one who was better at house chores, and lately they had take-out meals more often.

_'Okay, so there's no AC and no cold drinks. Lovely.'_ Lightning thought grumpily when someone knocked on her front door. Sighing in defeat, she walked briskly to answer it.

Lo and behold! An oasis! Well, sort of. It was none other than His Highness—he always shot her a glare when she called him with this title—Noctis Lucis Caelum.

For a second there Lightning could not help but felt like a gush of heaven's winds just swept passed her. Noctis really had that charm over her. To her, he was the loveliest human God had ever created. And (un)fortunately he was her best friend.

Though she kind of envied him at the moment. Only Noctis could stay cool and fashionable in a shirt and thick dark jacket on a boiling day like this. Didn't he feel the least bit bothered with the weather? Apparently no, since his face only showed some amusement at her slightly agape mouth— _wait_, what?

Dear God! She was lost in her own thoughts again and Noctis had to be there to witness it. And said thoughts, like usual, was about him.

Quickly pulling herself together, Lightning opened her door wide for Noctis. As he made his way to sit in her living room's couch, she closed the door gently. Standing in front of him now with a cocked eyebrow and a hand on her hip, she asked him curiously.

"Did I forget something about you coming to my house, Noct?" She noticed he brought a carton box of her favorite doughnuts.

"What? Aren't you happy to see me?" He answered in a playful tone with that yummy grin on his face.

Lightning rolled her eyes, and when her gaze fell to the kitchen she crinkled her nose distastefully. She eyed Noctis again; he looked good in her couch. When Snow—that _big_ lump of a man—sat there, he really looked like a big circus bear sitting on a small stool. Not a pretty sight.

"You came at the wrong time. The electricity's been dead for two hours now, so I don't have any cold drinks for you." Lightning shot him an apologetic look and went to her kitchen anyway, fetching two bottles of ion drinks from the fridge. Noctis had probably been exposed to the heat outside when he came to visit her and cold drinks should have been nice. But alas, she did not have any of them now.

"I didn't come here for a cold drink, you know." Noctis answered after Lightning came back from the kitchen. He took her offered bottle, put it on the table, and scooted over to make some space for her. When she sat beside him and immediately gulped her drink in record time, he eyed her in amusement.

"You sure are thirsty, Light." He remarked and chuckled to himself.

She only spared him a glance while she continued finishing her drink—though it didn't taste as good when you had uncooled ion drinks. "Shut up now," she said, a pout threatened to form on her lips. "You should've told me earlier if you'd like to visit. I could've asked you to bring some cold drinks or ice cream, you know."

Noctis just shrugged his shoulders and looked around her house. "You're alone?" He voiced his thought.

"Yeah, I was. Now I'm with you." She answered him absentmindedly.

Today was Sunday. Serah went to a newly opened amusement park in the city's center: Pandora's Dreamland. Seriously, why would they name it Pandora? Well, that aside, Lightning might have agreed to go with Serah if only Snow did not decide to tag along with them. She could hardly stand his presence; it would seriously take much time to be patient around Snow, to control her temper and do not lashed out at the mere sight of him. She did not want to hurt Serah's feelings, so she had decided that it was better if she steered away from Snow altogether until her tempers were good enough.

Serah and Snow were just engaged, by the way. Her little sister never told her anything about Snow until they had engaged, which was only two weeks ago, and they had decided to marry, soon. There, she had valid reason to be all upset with Snow, right?

"Thanks for the doughnuts, Noct. But I'm just not in the mood for a doughnut right now," Lightning all but dropped her head to the couch's backrest. "It's so god damn hot today." She complained to him as she put her legs on the table beside the doughnuts' box and closed her eyes.

Noctis, on his part, couldn't help but started to feel hot too. Not so much because of the weather, but, well, there Lightning slouched beside him; dressed in a white tank top that clearly showed her well-toned belly beneath it, and how enticing her bosoms are; moving up and down along with her breathing −_'Bad thought, Noctis!' _his mind screamed− her smooth neck, her small but sturdy biceps, and her lovely face that rarely seen without bangs. She looked quite flushed; the heat had made her face and some area below her neck a little redden, and don't even start on her legs. Those hot pants showed too much of her creamy skin −though it was not unwelcome− and her long legs.

Noctis gulped unconsciously. _'Oh god!'_ He mentally groaned and slapped himself._ 'Maybe it's a bad idea coming here_—_but damn, I'll choose enduring this sweet torture over some diplomatic meetings anytime'_. Yes, Lightning was his best friend, _now_. But depend on the situations, it could change to a more favorable relationship to the both of them.

_'Sounds like a plan, yeah?'_ His more playful side mind teased him.

Clearing his throat—in an effort to also cleared his mind—he decided to open his long jacket. Yeah, that way, it would look like he was bothered with the weather, not over thoughts of his best friend's tempting body._ 'Ooh, hormonal, are we?'_

Damn, he really felt like shooting his own mind right now.

He heard Lightning snorted lightly and saw that she had opened her eyes and put down her legs from the table. "Should've done that ages ago," she said, gesturing to his jacket with her eyes. "Now, why are you here again?" Lightning asked as she straightened her body up.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to answer, she interrupted him with her correct guess: like always. "Running away from a meeting, are you?" She asked confidently.

Noctis only rolled his eyes, then with a small frown on his forehead, he regarded her. "It's nothing Ignis can't handle. Besides, it's just a little meeting," a small sigh there. "It wasn't as if the world would end if I didn't attend it," he threw a pointed look at her. "Which I was for the half of it, just so you know. I was just so bored I decided to ditch it." He ended with a careless shrug of his shoulders.

"You're such a kid sometimes, Noct. And, there's nothing Ignis can't handle, he's your right hand for a reason." Lightning pointed out the obvious with raised eyebrows, then with a teasing grin, she added. "He'll be pissed as hell."

"Yeah, I know. Well, whatever." He had done this countless of times before, so he knew how nasty Ignis' _punishments_ could be. But as long as Ignis did not ban him from seeing Lightning, he could handle anything.

"Suit yourself." Lightning nodded with a smile then promptly stood up from the couch. "Come with me. I think I've enough of this weather."

Curiously, Noctis followed Lightning. She led him to her backyard where there was a big swimming pool; complete with diving board, there were two wooden recliners which comfortably facing the swimming pool with a round wooden table in between, and there was a cozy hammock swings under one of the trees that covered almost the whole backyard, creating a cool atmosphere even in a boiling day like this.

Noctis made his way to sit on one of the recliners. He walked leisurely behind Lightning −whilst trying to avoid his eyes from staring at her every curves− that was, until she reached the pool's side then started tugging on her white tank top.

Froze on his spot, with equally frozen brain, Noctis could not comprehend a thing for a moment. For the love of— _Lightning was about to open her top!_ His mind screamed frantically. It would be the first time he saw Lightning, well, without a shirt. He knew she wore a bra underneath her white tank top since he could see the two black straps on her shoulders. She had reached the point of showing her belly now as he could see her navel's piercing.

Before any more damage could be done, his brain whirred to life again and he voiced his concern. Loudly.

"Light!" As soon as the shout left his mouth, Noctis cursed himself mentally. Hell no, he acted no different from a teenage boy seeing his crush −without opening-shirt part, of course− at school; all nervous and flustered.

_'Damn. Ignis, I'll heed your words next time, dude. Never leave a meeting'. _He thought miserably.

Lightning, startled by Noctis' voice, had instantly dropped her hold on her top. She had intended to cool off by swimming, but seeing Noctis stood there awkwardly with a dust of pink on his face and ears, plus his eyes that intently watching the ground, she felt confused for a moment before it finally dawned on her; he was embarrassed to see her undressing.

Hiding her grin, Lightning purposefully walked towards him in slow steps. Let's play with His Majesty, shall we?

"Is something wrong?" Lightning asked Noctis with a fake innocent face.

She peered at him, trying to put her face in his line of sight, but he stubbornly avoided her gaze. _'He's really cute!' _Lightning gushed in her mind.

"Yes! Uhm, no! No! I mean," _Very smooth, Noctis_. He chided himself. _Quick, think of something_— _Ah!_

"Sunscreen!" Noctis exclaimed suddenly. "Yeah, I was just going to tell you to put some sunscreen first. 'Cause it's so hot right now, you know. You'll get sunburn if you don't apply some sunscreen before you dive into the pool." He finally worked the courage to look at her. _Damn, she's too close! _He nodded to himself and finished lamely. "That's it."

Grinning in satisfaction, Lightning just nodded and went to fetch her sunscreen inside. Muttering "Yeah, sunscreen." while brushing his side. Man, he looked like he almost lost his breath.

Noctis sighed in relief once Lightning had stepped away from him and went inside. Then he shook his head in disbelief. He never felt so stupid.

_'God, help me.' _He moaned in despair mentally and continued his plan to rest on the recliner.

But it looked like Lightning had not done with her mischievous deeds.

**::**

* * *

><p><em>Disclaimer: Final Fantasy © Square Enix.<br>Unbeta'ed._


	2. ii

Lightning came back with her sunscreen in hand. She stood in her backyard porch, silently watching Noctis who was now laying peacefully on her wooden recliner: his torso was propped upward, his head was tilted sideward; showing his pale throat, his eyelids were closed comfortably, arms folded behind his head as a pillow, and his left leg was bent in the knee while the right one was laid straight. He was barefooted now.

Since the recliners were placed under the shade of the trees, he was completely protected from the bright and hot sun rays. A gust of wind blew softly and tousled his dark hair, moving his bangs away until it showed some patch of skin on his right temple and forehead. His thin lips were slightly parted before the corners were pulled upward in a small content smile.

It was a good thing that he had his eyes closed now, otherwise he would see her madly blushing face. He looked so damn adorable. For crying out loud, he was a sleeping _Adonis_!

Though really, he was too oblivious for his own good. Should it was other woman who found him in this state, he would find some groping hands under his shirt already; roaming about his abs and—

Lightning shuddered at her own imagination. No, no, and no. It was definitely in everyone's −hers− best interest to keep Noctis away from hordes of his overeager _admirers_, men and women alike.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Lightning sighed softly and started to walk to where Noctis laid napping. She plopped down on the empty recliner on his left, arranged her sitting position so she was facing him, then deliberately letting out a little made up irritated sigh −of the hot temperature− to let him know that she had come back.

He gave no reaction at all; still blissfully laid there like there was no tomorrow.

_'Okay. Let's try something else then.' _Lightning thought with a puzzled expression on her face. Was he actually sleeping? Well, she did know Noctis loved sleeping as much as she loved making Snow's life a living hell—cue evil, sadistic grin. But really, Noctis could sleep anywhere at anytime; hence his _Sleepyhead Prince_ nickname.

Lightning pulled her white tank top over her head, folded it neatly, and set it aside on the empty table between the two recliners. She opened her sunscreen's bottle cap noisily and started to carefully applied the lotion on her face, neck, hands, stomach, thighs, legs, and other exposed parts of her skin she could reach out. All the while as she was doing this, she kept her eyes on Noctis, silently hoping he could feel her heated gaze.

If he was purposefully ignoring her presence, he really did a good job at it. For some reasons she started to feel irritated. Admittedly, it was fun to see Noctis all beet red like some minutes ago. Because then, it had to mean something if she could create that effect on him too, right? She stubbornly ignored a voice in her head that chanted _'You're flirting with him' _over and over. _Right_, talk about denial.

She had reached halfway in applying the lotion on her body, but still there was no sign of Noctis acknowledging her presence. Lightning tore her gaze away from Noctis' face and concentrated on herself. Pouting a little to herself, she started singing her new favorite song softly under her breath—if only to entertain herself since His Majesty was apparently so _busy_ with himself.

**.**

**.**

Noctis had seen many beautiful places around the world, but nothing could beat enjoying a day in Lightning's place. He loved her small house. He always tried to find some time to visit, invited or not. It was one of his most favorite activities: spending time with Lightning in her home.

Though lately he had started to question himself whether it was her comfy house he really enjoyed, or Lightning's presence alongside him. It truly was a wonderful house but without Lightning beside him, it did not feel that great.

He _really_ liked her company, even so far as seeking it most of the time.

His friends said he was in denial, that he should just confessed his feelings to Lightning, but—how could he do that? Lightning was one beautiful woman; on the inside and outside. And while many people said that he was handsome, a great man, and many other things, he still did not feel confident enough of himself. A rejection from Lightning would undoubtedly leave him devastated. More importantly though, he did not want to jeopardize their friendship with his hidden feelings for her. But—he also wanted to be more than just her best friend. _God_, it was just frustrating.

Many times in the past he was tempted to confess his hidden feelings to her, though fortunately he always succeeded to rein them in. But she really made it hard for him to keep his hidden feelings intact when she did things such as this. Earlier, when he told her to put some sunscreen before she go swimming, he saw some playful glint in her crystal blue eyes. He had seen that mischievous glint a couple of times before and it was never a good sign. So while she went inside to fetch her sunscreen, he relaxed down on the recliner and decided to act cool, composed, and just simply ignore her presence altogether when she came back. So pretending to nap was the solution to his problem. After all, nothing could waver his composure if he had his eyes closed, right?

Noctis knew Lightning had come back when he heard her sighed in –what he presumed− annoyance. He tried his best to ignore his suddenly quickened heart beat and just kept his calm resting posture. It seemed that he was doing quite well in ignoring her presence since she did not try to wake him up.

Sometimes later he heard Lightning started to sing softly, which without her knowing, it had helped him to get more relaxed. She had a good voice which reminded him of his mother's every time she sang a lullaby for him when he was a kid.

For a good some time he listened to her singing, which in every minute passed seemed like pulling him deeper into a deep slumber. His eyes started to glue themselves more tightly in their closed state.

Noctis breathed a soft relieved sigh. So she was not going to _play _with him, then? _Thank God_—

''Noctis?''

Involuntarily, he flinched noticeably. _'Oh. Shit.'_ The feeling of dread started to settle inside him. No, it could not be—_that_ tone of voice.

''Noct, will you help me apply some sunscreen on my back? 'Cause I can't reach all of them. _Please_?"

Yeah, it was _that_ voice, which she reserved to go along with said playful glint in her eyes earlier.

God really had no mercy. He had difficulty when he was about to see her partially topless earlier, and now— he had to touch her in that state too?

''_Noctis_," She called his name in a sing-song voice when she saw him still laid there unmoving.

_'Damn, there's no way to avoid this.' _Noctis sighed in defeat and braced himself. Slowly, he opened his eyes, reluctantly got up from his reclining position, and finally faced her.

She would be the death of him. There, she stared at him expectantly with a huge—_victorious?—_smile and that damn playful look in her eyes, stretching the blasted sunscreen bottle to him.

Noctis narrowed his blue eyes at her; was she mocking him? He opened his mouth, very much intended to tell her his piece of mind, but it was cut short abruptly when he realized what was really in front of him.

Shamelessly, his eyes widened in surprise.

His previous silent perusal of her in the living room was nothing compared to what was laid before his eyes now. This girl—_'Woman.' _his mind corrected him—she looked so radiant, a beauty truly like no other. So stunning, even though all she did was sitting innocently there. This sight, this Lightning who clad in nothing but a black −rainbow polka dots printed− bra and grey hot pants, face shimmering in playful mirth, sitting so relaxed before him had definitely opened his eyes to a new realization.

It was not like he had never acknowledged Lightning's beauty. It was just—she had been always so fierce, tough, and dedicated: so deadly and effective in doing her job, handling guns and blades like humans breathed to live. She was a natural-born _fighter_; that was the Lightning that he always saw, one of his most prized soldiers. But seeing her right now, he felt like he was being slapped so hard he was left in complete silence.

Lightning was just as fragile and delicate as any normal woman. This did not look like the Lightning he knew, who could wipe some hundreds enemy soldiers by herself—small hands tainted in blood.

Her usual everyday's and work's attire was quite loose so they had clearly hidden what was truly beneath: the body of a goddess. Her tank top earlier just highlighting her curves, but to see her bare now, that was a whole new different thing. Inside, when they were in her living room, he had not got the chance to see it clearly but now in the open —under the rich, bright sun rays—he could see it perfectly; she had the most beautiful complexion. Her skin looked so smooth, _too _smooth, that he would not even be surprised if it felt as soft as babies' skin. And there was no scar on her body as far as he aware of, which further proved that she was indeed a formidable soldier.

What perplexed him the most was the small of her body. She was quite small and thin that she could almost pass as petite. So, how in the world could she exert so much energy for powerful punches, kicks, maddeningly fast run, and overall the agility of veteran soldiers from that small body?

The Lightning in front of him now was definitely an epitome of femininity. Lovely face, bright smile, sweet demeanor, soft curves in the right places; an innocent beauty, not the feared sergeant that she was so known for.

How could he miss this fact? Well, if anything, it showed that he did not just after her physic only. He saw her more than just, well, a sexy or hot body. He could see Lightning as a woman that he would spend his lifetime with, someone he would do anything for to make her happy, someone he would readily sacrifice his life in order to save hers—

_Damn_. Seemed like his feelings for her were deeper than he ever thought.

While Noctis was busy with his thoughts, Lightning started to falter from her cheery expression. Her once triumphant smile slowly grew to a nervous one. Well, any woman would feel the same way if they were under intense scrutiny and having an undivided attention of Noctis Lucis Caelum. He just had this tasty dazzling look when he was deadly serious or when he was concentrating hard.

Lightning never felt so self-conscious like she did right then. Was there something wrong with her? Did she cross the boundary with him? Admittedly, she felt so comfortable with him that she sometimes forgot Noctis was still very much the King's heir, the next in line to rule this Kingdom. So even though she was his best friend, maybe she should not have acted like− _that_?

_'Ah, shit.' _Lightning cursed mentally. Timidly, she called his name once again.

Noctis snapped out of his musings and really directed his focus to Lightning now. The girl cringed slightly when he set his gaze on her and started to fidget in her seat.

Now this was _amusing_; a fidgety Lightning. _How the table had turned, wasn't it?_ Noctis cheered in his mind. But she did not need to know that. So with that, he made a somewhat cold face and in a commanding tone, he said "Sit down here." to her while simultaneously indicating the empty spot in front of him with his hard eyes. He stretched his left hand, asking for her sunscreen bottle.

His new discovery of this feminine side of Lightning had unknowingly helped him to overcome his shy character.

Lightning obediently scuffling over to Noctis' side. Her head was bowed a little, a small pout on her rosy lips as her eyebrows were slanted slightly; she was clearly unhappy with the turn of events but she had no other choice.

She was so cute like this, reminded him of a kicked puppy. If it only took an angry façade and commanding persona to make her submitted to him, he totally should have done this more often. He could have saved himself many _troubles_; as in stopping her mischievous, playful side.

Noctis took the offered sunscreen bottle from her and made to sit in cross-legged position. She plopped down before him, showing her bare back to him.

_'Holy_—_' _Noctis' blue eyes widened in open fascination.

What a sight to see her bare back only inches away from him. His eyes traveled from the nape of her neck down to the curves of her spine where her hot pants was hanging dangerously low on her hip bones.

Noctis groaned in dismay mentally. It would not be such big problem should it was another woman who sat before him like that. But this was Lightning he was talking about, which made things more complicated—well, at least it did in his mind.

''Stay still." He ordered to her while inwardly trying to calm his nervousness and rapid heart beat. Yes, this way she would keep to herself, 'cause he would be damned if Lightning knew how she had affected him so great with this simple act of sitting before him in only a bra and pair of hot pants.

''Yeah, Daddy." Lightning answered sarcastically with rolled eyes.

Noctis licked his suddenly dry lips. _What had he gotten himself into?_

Shaking his head, he opened the bottle's cap, pinched some of its contents on his left palm, and put down the bottle near his leg. Using his right palm, he started to apply the lotion on her shoulder first, then carefully treaded downward. She did have a baby's soft skin, he found out. There was just no other way to describe the feeling of her skin under his palm; its texture was just felt so good. And unsurprisingly, his palm looked so big on her small back; it covered great expanse of her skin when he splayed it apart.

His touches were careful, it was as if like he was touching some easily broken China doll._ 'Was she always this small?' _Noctis thought absentmindedly, eyes staring hard. He had decided that he would watch for Lightning more closely from now on. Sure, she had her own share of powers and strength. But this was just too much for him, seeing this vulnerable Lightning was enough reason.

Unknowingly, while lost in his thought, Noctis did not realize that his hand had fallen to a gentle caresses now, lingering here and there. And he certainly would not have any idea how his action made Lightning felt like there were butterflies wildly fluttering around inside her stomach. She never blushed so hard in her life before like she did right now.

Her plan to get Noctis' attention had backfired now, wasn't it? Lightning sat as silent as a rock while Noctis doing his task. The sensation, the feeling of Noctis−obviously big− hand on her skin was definitely more than pleasant.

Lightning racked her brain to find something to talk about. This _silence_ was killing her. _'But what could I_—_Ah, that!' _

She cleared her throat rather awkwardly to get Noctis' attention.

''Um, have you heard about Fang and Ignis, Noct?" She asked, both curious of his answer and tried to make a chat to distract herself.

''What about them?" Noctis answered in a heartbeat as he had already came out of his deep thought.

''Vanille said that her plan to get them together has possibly came to fruition. She saw them walked out of this very fancy restaurant a while ago, nicely dressed, like they just had a candle light dinner or something," Lightning hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head on top of her knees, her eyes watching the glimmer of sun rays that were hitting the water's surface on the pool. "But when she confronted Fang about it, she went all secretive with her. Neither denied nor confirmed the truth. Vanille was so dying to know what really happened with them," Lightning let out a snort at this. Vanille, the bubbly orange haired girl, was too curious for her own good. Such a kid. "So, did Ignis say something about him going out with Fang to you? Or maybe to Prompto, or Gladiolus?''

Noctis let out a hum, his hand still applying the sunscreen. He had reached her lower back and hips now. "I don't think so. He's still his usual stuck up, drop dead serious self. Should he has a special thing going on with Fang, he would be a little—you know, cheery or loosen up. Something like that." Noctis amusingly shook his head when images of Ignis and Fang together flitted through his mind. A grin adorned his face. "Vanille will need all the luck she could get to play this matchmaker with those polar opposites people.''

''Well, you do know the saying _opposites attract_. So, maybe this will work out between them." Lightning shrugged her shoulders, a small smile on her face. "Ignis and Fang are the most polar opposites people you could think of.''

''Yeah." Noctis agreed silently. "Light?''

Lightning only hummed in answer, a clear sign for him to continue.

''You really bring the word _strong_ to a whole new different level, you know?" Noctis said in amazement, a teasing smile on his face.

Lightning scrunched her face in pure confusion. She twisted her body around so she was facing Noctis entirely, which made him ceased his task at hand. "What did you mean by that?" She asked curiously.

''You didn't feel a tiny bit ticklish when I touched your sides." He chuckled in amusement. "Even the stoic Ignis has a ticklish spot. And don't even mention Prompto, he's totally a lost case when someone tickling him.''

''Well, lucky me." Lightning muttered in answer.

''Yeah, lucky you." He echoed with a smile on his face—but boy, did he make a mistake _there_. Something akin to an alarm rang in his mind, it warned him that something was not quite right: what was with Lightning's sudden changed in demeanor. It was as if like she was hiding—

''Let's see if," Lightning paused, _that _grin on her face again, while Noctis only arched his eyebrows. _What was she trying to say?_

"—you're ticklish too!" She ended that and instantly jumped him. His eyes widened in realization but he was not fast enough. Lightning had her hands on his sides already, tickling him. And—let's just say, he too, has ticklish spot.

Noctis gasped in surprise and fell on his back. "Fuck! No, Light, stop it!" He cried while Lightning straddled his thighs and relentlessly maneuvered her hands all over to find his weak, ticklish spot. He tried to stop her roaming hands but it was to no avail. In normal circumstances he was definitely stronger than Lightning, but his fighting efforts was dwindled down by her tickling hands caused on him.

''Stop it... It's _enough_!... No, please!... Please, stop it!" Noctis said in between laughter, his body was shaking uncontrollably as small tears pooled themselves in the corners of his eyes. _Damn_, his stomach hurt.

Lightning bit her lip to suppress her laughter. Who knows Noctis was ticklish too? This was so going to be her new blackmail material on him.

Seeing that Noctis had almost lost his breath, Lightning decided to stop her tickling hands. She watched amusedly as he sucked in much needed air greedily; his chest moving up and down in fast succession. Steadily then his body started to calm down, though his eyes were still tightly closed. Apparently she had robbed much of his energy.

Lightning smiled lovingly and moved her right hand −that previously laid on his stomach− to swipe his now messier bangs out of his forehead gently. Her hand caressed his temple, trailed down to cup his cheek, then fell to his defined jaw and chin. Her crystal blue eyes intently watching his parted thin lips; oh, how they looked so _inviting_—

A nuzzle on her hand snapped her back to reality. She almost snorted in disbelief; Noctis was ready to doze off again. She sighed and slapped his cheek softly.

"Hey, come on. No more sleep now, _Sleeping Beauty_." She called him teasingly.

What she did not expect was for him to extend his hand and cup the side of her face.

"Maybe you should kiss him so he'll wake up from his sleep?" Noctis suggested in a low voice. He still had his eyes closed, and that content small smile played on his lips again. Well, there he had said it. Whatever happened to hide his feelings? But he sure did feel lighter now that he had let it out.

Lightning bit her lower lip, contemplating his words. They both knew that what he had just suggested was not a kiss for a simple friendly gesture.

He sure was a temptation without even trying to be.

"Will he really wake up if I do that?" Lightning decided to play along. "I wouldn't want my kiss wasted for nothing, you know." Even as she said it, she found herself started leaning down on him.

Noctis hummed in answer. "Well, you'll never know unless you try."

As she leaned more and put her weight down on him, Noctis moved his hand to the back of her head and brought her face to his.

Cliché as it may sound, it truly just felt so right when their lips finally met. Their first kiss; it tasted like the sweetness of candies.

Noctis found himself easily addicted to Lightning's lips. God, they felt so much better than he had ever imagined them to be. He moved his left hand to her lower back and tighten his hold on her while burying his right hand on her soft pink hair. Lightning deepened their kiss, her palms fisting the fabric of his shirt tightly.

It seemed like forever before they finally parted away from each other. Slightly out of breath, they stared at each other intently; seeing what words could not convey through their eyes.

Before they knew it, they had started to laugh like crazy. Lightning laid her body on Noctis and buried her face in his neck while Noctis' arms held her body close to him. He kissed the top of her head, a satisfied smile on his lips.

"Since when, Light?" Noctis asked her softly. She knew what he meant; _since when did she fall in love with him._

"I don't know. Quite long, I guess." Lightning closed her eyes and breathed in his scent contentedly. This felt so good; enclosed in his warm body. "How about you?" She asked him in return.

"Ah, probably since I first met you?" Noctis loosened his grip on Lightning when she made a move to look up at his face. He saw the surprised look on her face and a moment later, she smiled lovingly at him and kissed his lips once again.

"Thank you, Noctis." Lightning made herself comfortable in Noctis' arms once again. Her plan to cool off in the pool had long gone. It was much more fun laying here with him.

"Anything for you, my Light." Noctis answered with a kiss on her forehead.

They stayed like that, laying on the recliner, just enjoying the summer breeze; where Lightning absently tracing some patterns on Noctis' shirt with her index finger and Noctis happily playing with Lightning's silky hair.

Well, he was definitely going to stay longer there with Lightning, no matter what Ignis' wrath would bring him later.

**.**

**.**

—to think it all started with a small platinum-haired Farron girl and a big blonde haired man who sabotaged the house of its electricity; and a blonde ex-fugitive who suggested _His Highness_ that it was a good day to visit the older Farron girl…

**::**

* * *

><p><em>Disclaimer: Final Fantasy © Square Enix.<br>Unbeta'ed._


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